Manifold material



Feb. 23, 1937. J. Q. SHERMAN MANIFOLD MATERIAL Filed April 16, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 23, 1937. J Q SHERMAN 2,071,364

MANIFOLD MATER IAL Filed April 16; 1930' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT 1 OFFICE;

8 Claims.

My invention relates to manifolding systems employing superposed recordstripsvand interleaved strips of transfer or carbon material which are transversely divisible at spaced intervals into packets of alternating record and carbon sheets,

and more particularly to inherent means for enabling the quick and easy separation of the detachedrecord and carbon sheets from each other by a single operation.

In the present invention both the record strips and interleaved strips of transfer material are provided with registering transverse division lines at spaced intervals, such lines being scored, perforated, or otherwise weakened for ready detachment of successive portions of the strip. The

division lines of the' record strips and those of the transfer strips being in registry, the separated sheets will be of equal length. The record strips are continuous or of full area and unmutilated throughout. The strips of interleaved transfer material are provided at intervals with cutouts permitting the record strips to be grasped in registry with such cutouts independently of the interleaved strips of transfer material, thereby per- 5 mitting a limited independent movement of the sheets of record material relative to the interleaved strips of carbon material or a relative slippage during the detachment thereof, whereby the detachment of the record sheets from their supply strip will be initiated slightly in advance of the detachment of the carbon sheets and the point of detachment of the record sheets will progress along the division lines in advance of the point of detachment of the transfer or car- 3 bon sheets, so that after detachment from their respective supply strips the superposed sheets of record and transfer material will be slightly offset with the margins of one set projecting beyond those of the other set to enable them to be sep- 40 arately grasped for quick and easy separation by a single pulling movement.

The object of the invention is to simplify the manufacture of continuous series-connected stationery whereby it will not only be cheapened in 45 manufacture, but will be more convenient in use, afford continuous unbroken writing areas, and be adapted for easy and quick separation of the detached sheets.

A primary object of the invention is to main- 50 tain continuous unmutilated record sheets of full area and to provide means for easily separating the interleaved carbon sheets therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide means whereby after detachment of packets of superposed carbon and record sheets from the supply strip, the carbon sheets will protrude beyond the record sheetsat one end, and conversely,- the record sheets will protrudev beyond the carbon sheets at the opposite end of the packet to facilitate easy separation of the respective sets of sheets.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the offsetting of the carbon and record sheets for convenient separation of' such detached sheets is automatically effected by the act of detaching the superposed sheets from the supply strips.

With the above primary and other incidental objects in view, as will more fully appear in the specification, the invention consists of the features of construction, the parts and combinations thereof and the mode of operation or their equivalents as hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

Referring to. the accompanying drawings wherein is shown the preferred but obviously not necessarily the only form of embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a supply stack of superfo'lded interleaved record and carbon or transfer strips to which the present invention has been applied, the ends of the strips being extended and separated to better disclose the features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the ends of the superposed supply strips illustrating the initiation of the detaching operation.

Fig. 3 is a similar perspective view illustrative of a further stage in the detachment of superposed sheets from the supply strips.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the strips of transfer or carbon material removed from the assembly.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of a modification of the carbon or transfer strip.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 1 of a 40 supply stack of superfolded interleaved record and carbon or transfer strips illustrating a further modification of the invention.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of a portion of the superposed strip showing the initiation of the detachment operation of the sheets.

Fig. 8 is a similar perspective view illustrating further progress in the detachment operation.

Fig. 9 is a detail view of a portion of a transfer or carbon strip removed from the assembly illustrated in Fig. 6.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the several views.

The use of series-connected stationery for continouous typing or record making has become quite common. By avoiding the necessity for assembly of record pages and interleaved carbon sheets, and the removal and replacement of such assemblies or packets in the typewriter, a great saving of time is effected and the writing operation may be continuously carried on at high speed. In such system the multiple record strips are superposed one upon the other with interleaved strips of one time carbon or transfer material therebetween. Both the record and transfer strips are transversely scored, perforated, or marked for detachment at predetermined intervals into sheets or pages. The one time" carbon or transfer material employed is of such inexpensive character as to be worth less than the time of the operator required to interleaf or assemble the sheets in the ordinary manner, and after detachment the interleaved carbon sheets are ordinarily discarded.

To economize time in the separation of the completed writings from the interleaved carbon sheets, various methods have heretofore been proposed such as making the strips of different widths or feeding the strips in slightly o'nset paths so that the margins of the interleaved carbon strips and record strips will project one beyond the other, or by cutting away alternating diagonally opposite corners of both the record sheets and interleaved carbon sheetsthereby permitting the record sheets to be collectively grasped at one corner without the interposed carbon leaves, and

the carbon leaves to be likewise co1lectively ance of the completed copies and the dimculties encountered in filing. Furthermore the punching or cutting of both the record strips and the carbon strips entails additional manufacturing operation and expense and special collating operations to dispose the notched areas of the transfer strips and record strips alternately.

It is to be understood that series-connected or connected stationery with interleaved carbon strips for manifolding purposes with transverse division lines for separation of the strips into packets of superposed leaves does not per se form any part of the present invention.

As pointed out in the preamble, the present invention pertains to means whereby upon detachment of packets of superposed leaves from the supply strips the margins of the carbon and record sheets will be presented in offset or oppositely extending overlapping relation which will enable the respective sets of sheets to be independently grasped for separation. This in the present instance is effected by providing for a relative slipping or shifting of the record sheets being detached relative to the interleaved carbon sheets during the detaching operation.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I is a stack of superfolded manifolding strips 2-22 between which are interleaved continuous strips 333 of carbon or transfer material. The record strips 22 are perforated or scored at spaced intervals as at l for detachment into independent sheets or pages. These division lines 4 extend straight transversely of the strips 2.

The interleaved strips of canbon material 3 are also transversely scored or perforated for detachment simultaneously with the detachment of the record sheets. The spacing of the transverse division lines 5 of the carbon or transfer strips corresponds exactly with that of the record strips so that the division lines of the entire series of superposed strips register with each other.

In the case of superfolded material, as illustrated in the drawings, these perforated, scored, or weakened division lines of the respective strips occur substantially coincident with the reverse folds of the assembled material.

The record strips 2 are'continuous throughout. That is to say, they are not mutilated by indent" ing, removal of corners, or otherwise deformed, but present full, continuous marginal lines. The interleaved strips of carbon or transfer material have cutouts 6 within the area of each succeeding detachable sheet as defined by the spaced division lines 5. This cutout may be a hole, as indicated at 6 in Figs. 1 to 4, which hole is in-spaced from the margin of the detachable section, and may be of any desired shape. The circular hole shown in the drawings is for illustrative purposes and not with intent to limit the shape of this opening.

In lieu of the cutout B inwardly spaced from the margins of the detachable portion of the strip, such cutout may comprise a marginal indentation either in the lateral margin of the strip as indicated at Go: in Fig. 5, or it may be a cutout or perforation intersecting the division line between succeeding detachable sections or sheets as shown in Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive. In either form of embodiment the cutout in the interleaved carbon or transfer strip forms a grasp-escaping area which permits the record strips to be grasped in registry with such cutout area of the interleaved transfer strips independently of such transfer strips so I without subjecting the interleaved strips of transfer material to such tearing strain, thus leaving the interleaved transfer strips momentarily intact.

In the form and location of the cutout areas 6 and. Go as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive the independent movement or slippage of the record sheets relative to the interleaved carbon strips during their initial detachment shifts the pinched or grasped area of the record sheets into engagement with the margin of the cutout in the interleaved transfer strip and upon further pulling movement the division lines 5 of the interleaved transfer strips will likewise be subjected to tearing or detaching strain. However, when the tearing or detachment of the transfer strip is initiated, the point of detachment of the record strip has progressed somewhat along the line I and the record and transfer strips continue to tear and detach in unison under. continuous pulling strain with the point of detachment of the record strips, however, always somewhat in advance of the point of detachment of the transfer strips. 7

This detaching operation is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. In Fig. 2 the record strips have been grasped at a point in registry with the underlying cutout 6 of the interleaved carbon strips,

and upon the initial pull, the division line 4 has aorta the interleaved carbon strips are being subjected to the tearing strain which is causing the separation of such strips upon the division lines 5. After the initial slip or shift of the record sheets being detached relative to the interleaved carbon strips sufficient to bring the grasp point to the margin of the cutout 6, or Go as the case may be, under further pulling effort the record strip and interleaved carbon or transfer strip are subjected to uniform pulling action and move in unison causing simultaneous division of the strips upon the respective tear lines l and 5.

This initial slippage or shifting of the record sheets being detached relative to the interleaved carbon strip has caused an overlapping or offsetting of the respective sets of sheets as is illustrated at 'l and 8. In their relative positions as finally detached from the supply strip, the interleaved sheets of carbon or transfer material project marginally beyond the margins of the detached record sheets at one side as at 1, while a at the opposite side of the detached packet the record sheets project marginally beyond the interleaved carbon sheets as indicated at 8. This enables each set of sheets to be independently grasped by such protruding marginal portion and to be easily and quickly separated by a single pulling operation.

In the form of embodiment illustrated in Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive, the same method and principle of operation is employed. In this instance, however, the cutouts 6b are in the terminal margins of the strips 3. In effecting the detachment of packets of superposed alternating leaves of record and transfer material, the ends of the record strips are grasped coincident with the cutouts 6b of the interleaved carbon strips. The initial pulling operation subjects only the record strips to the tearing or detachment strain. When the detachment of the record sheets has been initiated, a slight change in the grasp of the sheets will cause the interleaved carbon strips to be also included, and a further pulling strain will cause the tearing of the transfer or carbon strips on the line 5 simultaneously with the further detachment of the record strips 2 on the line 4. However the point of detachment of the record strips 2 will have progressed a short distance on the line 4 before the detachment of the transfer strip on line 5 is initiated and this advance relation of the point of detachment of the record strip is maintained across the assembly.

It is a quite simple and easy matter to first grasp the ends of the record strips 2 coincident with the cutouts 6?) between the tips of the finger and thumb and as the strips begin to separate on the line 4 by a slight rolling or flattening of the thumb and finger the end of the interleaved carbon or transfer strip 3 beyond the cutout 6b may be included within the grasp and the pulling action continued. For some operators it may be found more convenient to grasp the record sheets within the area of the cutout 61) between the thumb and first finger, and

ing movement of the record sheets relative to the transfer strips, the entire assembly of both record and interleaved carbon strips is then grasped between the second finger and the base of the thumb outside the area of the cutout Oh and the continued pulling efiort will separate both the transfer or carbon strip 3 upon the line 5 and the record strips 2 upon the line I, as is illustrated in Fig. 8. e

In the packet as finally separated from the supply strip, the interleaved carbon or transfer sheets will protrude marginally beyond the margins of the record sheets as at I while at the opposite side of the packet the margins of the record strip sheets will protrude beyond those of the interleaved carbon sheets as indicated at 8. This, as before described, enables each set of sheets to be separately grasped for separarecord sheets with the interposed portions of the transfer or carbon strips to effect afurther detaching movement in unison. The detachment of the record sheets having been initiated inadyance of that of the interleaved carbon sheets, the' relation of the points of detachment is maintained. The initial limited slipping or shift- :ng of the record sheets while being detached effects suflicient offsetting of the respective sets of sheets relative to each other to enable them to be grasped independently.

In lieu of detaching the record sheets and transfer sheets simultaneously by effecting the detachment of the record sheets progressing slightly in advance of the detachment of the transfer sheets as heretofore described, the record sheets may be detached from their supply strips, leaving the interleaved carbon strips intact by continuing the pulling efiort upon the record sheets as illustrated in Fig. 7 without making effort to include the transfer sheets within the grasp. In such case the detachment of the record sheets from their supply strips and their separation from the interleaved carbon strips will occur simultaneously leaving the transfer material sheets to be subsequently detached from their supply strips.

The sheets of record material are thus entirely detached from the strips and withdrawn from the interleaved carbon strips in advance of the detachment of corresponding portions of such carbon or transfer strips.

From the above description it will be apparent that there is thus provided a device of the character described possessing the particular features of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but which obviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportions, detail construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the principle involved or sacrificing any of its advantages.

While in order to comply with the statute the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details shown, but that the means and construction herein disclosed comprise the invention into effect and the invention is, therefore claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claimi 1. A pair of continuous unmutilated strips of I record material and an interposed strip of transfer material, said strips being divisible into sections upon substantially coincident transverse weakened division lines, said strip of transfer material having therein a series of cutouts in spaced relation with the terminal margins of succeeding sections.

2. A manifolding assembly including superposed strips of record material having spaced transverse weakening lines upon which the strips are divisible into succeeding rectangular sections of continuous unbroken area having uninterrupted marginal edges, and an interposed strip of transfer material separable into succeeding sections on transverse weakened division lines, each such division having therein a grasp escape cutout in inwardly spaced relation with the transverse division line between such section and the contiguous section within the area of which the over and underlying record material may be grasped independently of such section.

3. A manifolding assembly including superposed strips of record material havingspaced transverse weakening lines upon which thestrips are divisible into succeeding rectangular sections of continuous unbroken area having uninterrupted marginaledges, and an interposed strip of transfer material separable into succeeding sections on transverse weakened division lines, each section having therein a grasp escape cutout in spaced relation with the division line between succeeding sections within the area of which the over and underlying record material may be grasped independently of such sections.

4. A manifolding assembly including superposed strips of record material having spaced transverseweakening lines upon which the strips are divisible into succeeding rectangular sections of continuous unbroken area having uninterrupted marginal edges, and an interposed strip of transfer material separable into succeeding sections on transverse weakened division lines, each section having a grasp escape hole within the marginal boundary of the section through which the overlying and underlying record material may be grasped independently of such section.'

5. A pair of superposed continuous" record strips having transverse weakening li ies upon which the strips are divisible into succeeding rectangular sheets having uninterrupted marginal edges, and an interposed strip of transfer material having transverse weakening lines disposed substantially coincident with those of the record strips upon which the transfer strip is likewise divisible into succeeding sheets, said transfer strip having portions removed from succeeding sheet sections within the limits of which the over and underlying record material may be collectively grasped independently of the transfer material for movement relative thereto by which tearing action upon transverse division lines of the record strips may be initiated and contiguous superposed portions of both record and transfer material within the area of which the sheets of transfer and record material may be collectively grasped for unison motion by which simultaneous tearing action of both materials on their respective transverse division lines is continued, thereby causing the detached sheets to be presented in offset askew relation by which the overlapping positions of the record and transfer material may be separately grasped for separation.

6. Manifolding material including superposed successions of detachably connected record sheets and like successions of detachably connected transfer sheets interposed between the record sheets, the record sheets having continuous straight uninterrupted margins on all sides and the transfer sheets having continuous straight uninterrupted margins on three sides, and a grasp escape configuration in the margin of the fourth side thereof within which the over and underlying record sheets may be grasped independently of the interposed transfer material.

7. Manifolding material including superposed strips of detachably interconnected record sheets and an interposed strip of detachably interconnected transfer sheets, said sheets being disposed with the marginal portions of the record sheets extending at one position beyond the margin of the interposed transfer sheets to enable collective grasping of the record sheets independently of the transfer sheets, the remaining margins of the respective sheets being substantially coincident.

8. Manifolding material including superposed strips of record material having transverse weakened division lines upon which the succeeding portions thereof are detachable into separate sheets, and interleaved strips of transfer material also having transverse weakened division lines upon which succeeding portions thereof are detachable into separate sheets, said strips being disposed with the terminal marginal portions of the detachably connected sheets comprising the strips of one series extending beyond the margins of vthe detachably connected sheets comprising the strips of the other series to enable the sheets of one series of strips to be collectively grasped independently of those of the other series of strips, the detachable sheets comprising one series of strips having straight uninterrupted margins on all sides.

JOHN Q. SHERMAN. 

